Maybe stick to acting, Christoph
The Premise: This is the first film to be directed by
Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz. He also stars as Ulrich Mott, a
social climber who recognizes that his key to getting inside Washington’s elite
circles is to befriend, and eventually marry, noted journalist Elsa Brecht
(Vanessa Redgrave), even though she is at least 30 years older than him. When
Brecht turns up dead one evening, her daughter (Annette Benning) is sure Mott
did it. Mott’s defense rests on a wild tale of international espionage that
seems impossible, but may be true.
The 100 Words: Georgetown has many of the makings of
a fun mystery film with an outstanding cast and a remarkable
truth-is-stranger-than-fiction real life story at its core. Sadly, I think
Waltz bit off more than he can chew in directing this picture. The film has
real pacing issues and never seems to find a consistent tone. Waltz’s Mott is
in every scene but we need to understand his motivations to make the film work.
Despite plenty of dramatic political intrigue connected to Mott, we just don’t
care how it all turns out and the film struggles as it reaches a predictable
ending.
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